Wednesday, January 21, 2015

"Lolo Kiko!"

At the Pope Francis Exhibit at The Block at SM North 2015 Jan. 16

The
Filipinos have come up with an appropriate name for Pope Francis, whom
we love so much, for he always thinks about the poor, the downtrodden,
the outcasts, even those who work abroad, separated from their families.

The only Pope who always speaks out against the inequitable
distribution of wealth, the injustice allowed by governments; he seeks
succor for the homeless men, women, and
children, not prophylactic assistance which DSWD's Dinky has offered to
the homeless while the Pope is here: free haircut, food, good clothes --
so the Pope will not see beggars and dirty Solvent Boys knocking on car
doors in the streets.

But, as the Pope's spokesman said, the
Pontiff knows the real issues -- he is aware of the chicanery of
government officials, of the decorative walls hiding from view the
dilapidated make-shift shanties of the squatter families, of how local
officials are mistreating the victims of Yolanda in Tacloban. Governor
Rodriguez must be praying for the typhoon to land so Lolo Kiko will not
see the sins of Rodriguez and his barangay officers.

I hope the
Pope will succeed in his mission: to help the people he loves and who
love and trust him so much, as he saw along the route of his motorcade
last night. His tiredness vanished when he heard the outpouring of
affection from the Filipinos who lined both sides of the road, all the
way from the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City to the Papal Nunciature. He
does not like the pomp of bishop's palaces; he has abolished the
designation of priests high and low as "Princes of the Church."

I know he will be strong here in the Philippines: he has survived the
handshakes of black Binay, atrocious Dinky, incompetent Roxas and De
Lima, smuggler-coddler Purisima, arrogant Abaya, and other destructive
Aquino cronies. I'm being unkind, I know, but it's ok - it's the Pope
that matters.